Casing machine



L. M GIHON CASING MACHINE May 2, 1961 2 ShetsSheet 1 Filed July 6, 1954.

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INVENTOR. Zia/V420 N /H L. M GIHON CASING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed*- July 6, 1954 $11k AM 'The present invention elates to easing ma'chines of the ease inverting type and is "chiicerned *rho're particu- -larly with an improved machine or this charat'er which facilitates a smooth case handling "operation "during "the inversion thereof, and particularly during the discharge 'or an inverted ease, r p

In casing machines of the character disclosed in the co'pe'nding application of Anthony R. Silva, Serial No.

290,864, filed May 31,1952, now-Parent n 2,786,316, anarr'a of bottles is ftirhid'df *therequired number to ire ease, these bottles being fed in as'ries of parallel "files, and the *c'ase i's -placd thereove'r in invertedfcondition. Subsequently the bottlesf'with the case thereon are i5icked from 'th'eir split sup'port'sfb'y a parallel series of lift Farms and the case is inverted and deposited on a discharge conveyer, the eeav'e' er in this type 'of machine b'eing normally placed-at a low'er leyel than the position "of the bottle array.

In accordance with the instant invention, *a cohv'eyerof 'aspIitt'ype is provided to re'ceive the ease as it is leaving the lift arms after being inverted, and provides for a general rolling depositing of ureease 'onto the conveyer for discharge. The conveyer is preferably of a split type so as to permitpa's'sage bf the lift arms after discharge of a case for subsequent positioning in readiness to lift another array of bottles and case theie'on from'the casing station. e

. The above and other objects of the invention are at- "tai'ned as described in connection with a preferred e'mbodirrient thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: I o

Figure -1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a casing mac ine embodying the instant invention,

\Figure-Z is a view similar to Figure l, but illustrating another operating position o f the casing mechanism. v A

Figure 3 is a plan view of the machine in theposition illustrated in full liires in Figure 2. p

Reierri'ng to the arse/tags, thei'e 'i's showii a casihg mechanism including a feedconveyer for a series of parallel tfiles of bottles 11, this conveyer 10 feeding the bottles to a suitable casing mechanism 12 where the bottles areformed into a suitable case array forexample 24 bottles to the case, for placing of thecase 13 thereover in inverted position. The casing station 12 is constructed as disclosed in the copendin'g application of Leonard McGihon, Serial No. 328,889, filed December 31, 1952, and entitled Bottle Spreader, now Patent No. 2,755,611, and reference is made to said application for details of construction not disclosed herein. In general the casing station includes a series of pairs of split rails 16 (Figure 3) providing an opening 17 therebetween through which an associated lift arm 18 may pass to engage a row of bottle and lift them with the case thereon.v The lift arms 18 as seen in Figure 1 are formed in pairs and spaced 180 apart, being secured on a drive and support shaft 19in a conventional manner, and having attached thereto a case supporting member 21 of suitable structure to engage the end of the case during the case t d S at s. P e e fiatented May 2, 1961 inverting dperatioi'l. The shaft 19"is driven in a disclosed in said Silva application by a chain 22 from a. transmission including a E :yclica lly operable clutch providing-one halfrot ation of the shaft 19 "forea'ch were 5 "thereof. The =ti'ans missi6n '23 also provides "a'suit'able drive through the chain 24 mm reedeen'veyer '10.

"shown in "iliefdrawin'gs Csee FigurefD, "there are {four parallel lift each set and these erasure eo'nnected and driven togetl1fer as a iihit to first lift up 10 through the split *s ilpport structure '16 at the *esiag jstation as shown in Figure 1,

l'y f the vertical, the

time v rt e P r ati b n a liq mp i's thasta fi dr q ii ay' w Ythe corresponding arms ISandstarfed its rolling descendiinvgrinovement' ,7. r. ,c is t ,e rt. Mean e m i e w ar n h ease f qmihs i a tnsgfidrereenahaaig thefilt" 'gfmovenient as sm'o rolling movement in discharge thereof, and Tthi s comprises a split supportoirhonve'yor in thejform of two parallel series-of rollers 31 ic arried by spaeed am -1x32, the arms 32 being me ntefdo'n shafts 33 and being held inL P ed rmv s'ihqn f t it bl p er 34- i i shares 33 ar "carried'by 'a pair n parallel adju' k s r were 3 are in: at r eerie 2 pieces 37 from the main fi'anie'liti. T I g 37 each provided with a seriies of longitud spaced holes 3721 therealong, andJtlhes "holes cooper p with a rectangular array Lof longitudinally and vertically 'sp'aced holes 29 in respeeavepl iesse, In this way, the plates 36 canfbejadjjlst ably clamped on "the channels 13:] bj/mea'ns of bolts 41, and plaeeftherollei's 31 "the desired spaced relation tothe arias JS with respect jto the particular sizejdfica se being employed in the c in'g operation. From the roller conveyer 3'1 the c'a'se istransferred to a belt type dischahie conveyer '46 of conventional construction. w U 40 "From the above description it wil be seen that the casing machine notfqiily inv lves fa split types'upport for the bottlesfat the casingstation, but also providesfa split type discharge fsupport or conveyer, which extends inwardly into intersecting relatioifi'vith the pathof movement'of the lift arrhs 18 g k mg a'fter a easeisdischarged therefrom, -tlieroller c "er's ,1 being suitably "spaced so, as to permit the lift rms 18 tjo pass freely e rollers 31a to en age *s'iraultaiieeusiy the higher 'rollers 31b at position 13c. On further tilting'movement as shown at the position of the case 13b in Figure 1 the case will be pivoting about the roller 31b and then engage the subsequent series ,of rollers 31 (see 130) which are parallel therewith in a downwardly descending path so that a smooth discharge of the case is provided onto the discharge conveyer 46. This convex arrangement or configuration of the receiving end of the discharge roller type conveyers 31 provides a very smooth and easy discharge operation of the cases without undesirable jar accompanying the pivoting movement of the case. In effeet a case is allowed to roll down to its position as shown in 13c in Figure 1 rather than to drop abruptly to this position. It will be further noted that the elevation of the roller conveyer 31 is such as to be engaged by the case 18 while it is still supported on the case support bars 21. The arrangement delivers a case to a slight higher discharge position than its lift position on the casing unit 12. a

While I have shown and described a preferred envat one end, said supports being positioned to support an array of containers for insertion of a case thereover, a plurality of lift arms mounted for rotation about an axis transverse to said path and positioned to pass upwardly through said split supports to lift containers and the case therefrom, said lift arms having a home position in a plane inclined away from the vertical, and a plurality of rollers forming spaced apart discharge conveyor means ;disposed on the side opposite said lift arms from said {container supports to receive a case from said arms, said ,conveyer means being spaced apart to provide for passage of said arms thereby, the forward ones of said rollers being positioned lowerthan the next adjacent ones of ,said rollers so that the case having containers therein is eased onto said discharge conveyer means from said lift .arm without destructive impact.

2. In a casing machine having means forming a pluirality of parallel single file feed paths for containers, a .casing station at the discharge end of said paths comprising a corresponding plurality of split container supports open at one end, said supports being positioned to support an array of containers for insertion of a case thereover, a plurality of lift arms mounted for rotation about an axis transverse to said paths and positioned to .pass upwardly through said split supports to lift con- ,tainers therefrom, said lift arms having a'home position in a plane inclined away from the vertical, and discharge ,conveyer means having its case receiving end spaced Ifror'n the axis of rotationof said lift arms and having said case receiving end thereof disposed so that a case having containers therein is eased onto said conveyer means from said lift arms without destructiveimpact,

said discharge conveyor means being split and spaced .apart to provide for passage ofsaid lift arms therethrough after discharge of a case therefrom, said split discharge means being positioned for engagement by the bottom of a case having its open end engaged with said lift arms,

each said discharge conveyer means comprising a series of rollers with the endmost roller at its case receiving end positioned lower than the next adjacent roller.

3. In a casing machine having means forming a plurality of parallel single file feed paths for containers, a

casing station at the discharge end of said paths having a corresponding plurality of spaced apart split container supports open at the end remote from said feed path forming means, said supports being positioned to sup- ,4 port an array of containers for insertion of a case them over, a plurality of parallel spaced lift arms mounted for rotation about an axis adjacent to the open ends of said container supports, and positioned to pass upwardly between and through said split supports to lift the containers and a case therefrom, said lift arms having a home position in a plane inclined away from the vertical, and a plurality of parallel spacedvapart discharge conveyer means positioned on the opposite side of said axis from said container supports, the location and spacing of said discharge conveyer means providing for passage of said lift arms therepast in discharging a case of containers, said conveyer means having an upwardly facing convex configuration .and the forward end of which is slightly above the horizontal plane of the axis of said container supports whereby to effect a rolling depositing action of a case on said conveyer means.

4. In a casing machine having means forming a plurality of parallel single file feed paths for containers, a

casing station at the discharge end of said paths having a corresponding plurality of spaced apart container supports, said supports being positioned to support an array of containers for insertion of a case thereover, a plurality of parallel spaced lift arms mounted for rotation about an axis adjacent to one end ofvsaid container supports and having a home position inclined away from the vertical, said lift arms being'positioned to pass upwardly between said supports to lift the containers and a case positioned over said containers, and a plurality of parallel spaced apart rollers comprising discharge conveyer means positioned on the opposite side of said axis from said container supports, said discharge conveyer means having spaces therebctween to provide for passage of said lift arms therethrough, the forward ones of said rollers being lower than the next succeeding ones of said rollers so that said conveyer meanshas an upwardly facing convex configuration to provide a hump in the intermediate part thereof so that a case being deposited thereon is given a rolling action without destructive impact.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,036,399 Witt Aug. 20, 1912 1,243,406 Hawthorne Oct. 16, 1917 1,519,154 Mitton Dec. 16, 1924 2,157,642 Vosler May 9, 1939 2,210,378 Parry Aug. 6, 1940 2,497,767 Hallead Feb. 14, 1950 2,527,252 Gorman Oct. 24, 1950 2,679,963 Neal -2 June 1, 1954 2,692,713 Silva Oct. 26, 1954 2,746,226 Donald et al. May 22, 1956 2,786,316 1957 Silva et al. Mar. 26, 

